Tech News In Short – By Vishal Dutia

The previous version of the camera app brought front flash mode for selfies.

Google has updated its Camera app and the new version 4.4 brings some nifty changes to the camera. The previous update, version 4.3 which was announced right before the current version brought a much wanted front flash feature for selfies where the selfie images are considerably brightened and an auto-applied warm tone. However, there is no screen flash feature that is present in many other Android camera apps. The new update enhances the main camera. Google Camera, which is the native camera on Nexus phones and Google Pixel devices, is among the best in-class and supports multiple photography modes. The latest update brings two small, but significant, changes to this app.

The first feature, as reported by Android Authority, is the double tap to zoom out. This feature helps you instantly zoom within the image by up to 50 percent, reducing the need to slide and zoom out. It not only zooms in, but also zooms all the way out. The quick fix can help users take a quick look and compare as to which image they prefer. The second feature is separate buttons for photos and videos. Google camera app users could switch between the two modes simply by sliding. However, the latest update brings the functionality to switch modes by just tapping the video button. The new buttons replace the slider currently present in Google Camera app. The latest version is already available and rolling out in batches.

Google Pixel‘s native camera app comes with HDR+, a feature that helps the camera take much better and advances images. It works similar to the HDR mode present on most camera apps but takes images at a fast rate as soon as the app is launched, stitching them together later with a lower exposure. The overall effect is pleasing with brighter colors and lesser blur. However, the feature was limited to Pixel devices but now, as XDA Developers report, a user by the name of B-S-G has managed to recreate the HDR+ effect even in other cameras. With his tweak, the feature can work on any device running Snapdragon 820, 821 or 835 chipsets. ALSO READ: Google Pixel 2, Pixel XL 2 3D renders give a closer look at the alleged design

The native app has been modified and is already compatible with many smartphones running the above mentioned chipsets like the OnePlus 5, LG G6, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, and more. The new app is compatible with device chipsets running Hexagon 680 and above. With the new changes, the images are brighter with better color reproduction. The file is available for download through third party marketplaces and the APK file is already listed. As the XDA report mentions, there are a host of references to ‘muskie’ and ‘walleye’, the codenames for upcoming Google smartphones, making the app think it is a native Google camera app.

Talking about the app and the future plans, B-S-G quoted to XDA, “For now it’s just beta version and I don’t really know which device is the best to spoof in order to achieve the most impressive results of HDR+ processing. Currently, I’m trying to get frontfacing camera to work with disabled flashlight. Only after I’ll a find fix for that, I’ll look deeply into improving photo quality. I have no plans to support any specific device, but I’ll probably make some versions of my modification with different spoofed devices. Every device works differently with HDR+ and it’s better to find the favorite one yourself. I already have at least 5 different versions here on forum (4pda) with different processing algorithm (2 hybrids, Nexus 6P, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 XL).”